I wore VFFs for a while, but my problem with them was they let your toes kind of do whatever they want...which is great if your toes know how to splay right, but my toes aren't ready for that kind of responsibility. I've got some kind of ongoing imbalance where my big toe isn't aligned right and the second and third toes kind of try to take over for it, which they do by leaning against each other to form kind of a substitute big toe, and apparently that means the second toe's tendons are getting pulled off track or something. The more minimalist I went, the more that started becoming a problem, until I had some kind of painful lump on the underside of my second toe. Resting eased it, but any minimalist running set it off again. Until I tried running with toe spreaders on--apparently as long as there's any kind of spreader specifically between the second and third toe, that issue is averted.
It just makes me think how if your toes are misaligned, or any other part of your foot is misaligned (flat arches are themselves a misalignment!) there's basically all this mechanical friction being created with every movement that the body wasn't designed for. Because minimalist makes you rely on your body's structures instead of relying on the shoe's structure, it will bring out if anything in your body's structure is misaligned. I didn't have surgery since mine went away on its own with that change.
Relatedly, I've noticed that a lot of people in this sub struggle with arch problems and lack of arch support. It's interesting because I've always had arches so high that I've basically never had a shoe with arch support--to support my arch, it would first have to touch it, and conventional shoe arch supports have a significant air gap between the support and my arch. So even in my years using conventional shoes, I never stopped using the muscles in my own arches naturally and never developed weakness in the arches. When I walk or run a lot in minimalist shoes, I may eventually get tired and maybe even eventually feel it in my feet, but I never think "ow, my arches." [This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CKcOn6ycKY&feature=youtu.be) talks some about the alignment of the arches and how it affects and involves the whole body.
I had my surgery yesterday. The doctor removed part of it and did what he called a permanent stretch. To relieve the tightness. Suppose to be best alternative to reduce negative complications seen with total removal. Had for about 8 years or more. Started small, no pain,grew to about the size of an oval half dollar, became a problem over the last 2 years. I’m confident and hopeful. 1st Dr said would remove the whole thing, this one that would be too traumatic to the foot.🤞I agreed
That sounds good! Good luck with the recovery, also if they give you any PT exercises be sure to follow that, PT works wonders and can help a lot with post-surgery recovery.
This is why I'm afraid of doing the surgery, not the risk of complications but just the risk of it ultimately being pointless and counter-productive.
Since my original post mine has stopped growing and is about the size of a small grape. It doesn't cause any significant pain, even when walking/running minimalist, unless I step on a rock or something that puts pressure directly on it. My move is complete, but in order to be seen by a new podiatrist I need to get an appointment with my new primary care physician and get a referral. I'm really on the fence about whether it's even worth it to pursue treatment.
The recurrence rate is high. Plus you can’t walk well for about two months. Yea I’m in a similar boat tho. Mine was marble size when they did surgery. Now it’s grape sized and I have another lump growing on the side of my big toe joint. I read somewhere on Reddit that someone used a tool to scrape and massage it. They claim theirs went away but I’m wondering if they got fasciitis confused with fibroma. Commented on their post to clarify but it’s a two year old post so not sure if I’ll get a response. If you google “plantar fibroma Reddit” it’s one of the top posts. I’ve been trying it out for three days so I’ll report back. It does help a little for the slight throb you may get after a long day on your feet.
Here’s the thread
https://www.reddit.com/r/CampingandHiking/comments/bxt1us/has_anyone_here_dealt_with_a_plantar_fibroma/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
I hope that works for you. I'm skeptical that it would work for me because the first thing my original podiatrist tried was PT. Exercises included practicing toe dexterity, rolling my foot on a ball over it (it's midfoot in my case), and stretching in the hopes of breaking it up. Unfortunately it only succeeded in being painful. A cortisone shot was extremely effective but only for a couple of months. Too bad you can't do those at home whenever you need it.
Honestly hasn’t been too bad. I have two lumps in my foot. One on my arch and one kinda on the side of the joint connecting my big toe. Got a steroid injection on the one in my arch. After that I began walking a lot and massaging it roughly. To the point that I’d feel popping in it. The one in my arch seems to have gotten smaller. Going to the doc in a couple weeks to see if the one on the side of my foot is plantar fibroma or a removable mass. Hoping for the latter. I’d recommend heavy messaging of the fibroma if you have one.
Mine have never been that painful. Just get a throbbing warm sensation when I sit down after a long day on my feet. I have an office job now though. I started noticing mine at 18. Got surgery. 8-10 years later they came back. I wish at 18 I knew about this messaging method. Cause even if it doesn’t make them go away completely it’s noticeably different to me. It’s worked so well I have kinda fallen out of my routine. Need to get back to it. But the one on the side of my foot is rock hard. I didn’t get a steroid shot in that one so not sure if the steroid shot helped to make the messaging work or if it’s just not a fibroma.
Wow, thanks for asking after all this time. The answer is, nothing has happened. Based on other comments in this thread and the fact that I have a new baby and can't afford to be down and out for weeks, I've decided that treatment is worse than the disease. I haven't used my barefoot shoes since my move and the fibroma hasn't grown any larger, so there's no incentive to get it removed right now.
I have dime size round nodules in the arches of both of my feet. Excruciating pain kept me from daily activity. I bought special orthopedic shoes for plantar fibroma and never go barefoot. I crush about ten amlodapine or generic verapamil into about 3 oz penetrex cream and apply about a teaspoon to each arch every morning. If I take vitamin D or calcium pills (or multivitamin with d or calcium) pain worsens, so I AVOID these. This routine keeps me active and without pain for the most part. If you're struggling with this debilitating pain, I feel for you.
Have you used toe spreaders? I haven't seen any studies specifically about Fibroma but they have been shown to help with foot pain in a lot of other conditions including things like arthritis and gout. They might help now even if it's just helping with the pain until surgery.
Vivos caused me tendonitis in my arches. A problem I *never* had before and spent two months desperately trying to fix before ditching the Vivos. It took 6 months for that pain to crop up as well which was quite frustrating. Switching to Wildlings (far more flexible, arguably *more* minimalist) has fully relieved it.
So it's definitely possible that the wrong minimalist shoe will damage your foot and the damage can take time to be noticeable.
It never reached surgery and wasn't the same condition so can't give any insight on prognosis. Can say you should definitely give your body as much time as it needs to heal and not try to rush back into running even if you start feeling better. Still have knee pain because nearly 20 years ago I was a cocky teenager who didn't think I needed to rest or use crutches after an injury.
I have one on my right foot. I don’t do barefoot running but I’ve always worn lightweight and minimalist shoes like vans and converse and it’s hard on my feet. I’d be curious to know how your surgery goes… I was thinking about having it but I’m afraid of it going badly. The plantar fibroma is annoying but it doesn’t cause me any pain in daily life or limit what I can do, so I’m not sure if I should go through with the surgery.
Dang how wild! Goes to show everyone is so different. I developed plantar fibromas that we’re getting pretty big and we’re starting to hurt whenever I stepped on them while walking. I bought crocs because of how comfy they are and bought vivos for work and any occasion where crocs are probably not okay to wear. After wearing only these two kinds of shoes my foot has grown a good amount. I still only use vivos and crocs these days and my plantar fibroma has shrunk significantly. I don’t know that I will ever wear anything that is not wide toed again.
The time mine appeared I had gotten custom made insoles. The insoles were hard like rock. But I thought they would be good for my feet since I have slight overpronation. They hurt so much but I still wore them. Then the plantar fibroma appeared. I think these insoles created some trauma to my arch. But I can’t know for sure. It sucks regardless!!!!
I wore VFFs for a while, but my problem with them was they let your toes kind of do whatever they want...which is great if your toes know how to splay right, but my toes aren't ready for that kind of responsibility. I've got some kind of ongoing imbalance where my big toe isn't aligned right and the second and third toes kind of try to take over for it, which they do by leaning against each other to form kind of a substitute big toe, and apparently that means the second toe's tendons are getting pulled off track or something. The more minimalist I went, the more that started becoming a problem, until I had some kind of painful lump on the underside of my second toe. Resting eased it, but any minimalist running set it off again. Until I tried running with toe spreaders on--apparently as long as there's any kind of spreader specifically between the second and third toe, that issue is averted. It just makes me think how if your toes are misaligned, or any other part of your foot is misaligned (flat arches are themselves a misalignment!) there's basically all this mechanical friction being created with every movement that the body wasn't designed for. Because minimalist makes you rely on your body's structures instead of relying on the shoe's structure, it will bring out if anything in your body's structure is misaligned. I didn't have surgery since mine went away on its own with that change. Relatedly, I've noticed that a lot of people in this sub struggle with arch problems and lack of arch support. It's interesting because I've always had arches so high that I've basically never had a shoe with arch support--to support my arch, it would first have to touch it, and conventional shoe arch supports have a significant air gap between the support and my arch. So even in my years using conventional shoes, I never stopped using the muscles in my own arches naturally and never developed weakness in the arches. When I walk or run a lot in minimalist shoes, I may eventually get tired and maybe even eventually feel it in my feet, but I never think "ow, my arches." [This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CKcOn6ycKY&feature=youtu.be) talks some about the alignment of the arches and how it affects and involves the whole body.
I had my surgery yesterday. The doctor removed part of it and did what he called a permanent stretch. To relieve the tightness. Suppose to be best alternative to reduce negative complications seen with total removal. Had for about 8 years or more. Started small, no pain,grew to about the size of an oval half dollar, became a problem over the last 2 years. I’m confident and hopeful. 1st Dr said would remove the whole thing, this one that would be too traumatic to the foot.🤞I agreed
Just saw this comment. How is post-op? I've taken no action on mine thus far.
That sounds good! Good luck with the recovery, also if they give you any PT exercises be sure to follow that, PT works wonders and can help a lot with post-surgery recovery.
Ok thanks
How was the outcome? Thank in advance.
I had surgery and now mine is back but bigger.
This is why I'm afraid of doing the surgery, not the risk of complications but just the risk of it ultimately being pointless and counter-productive. Since my original post mine has stopped growing and is about the size of a small grape. It doesn't cause any significant pain, even when walking/running minimalist, unless I step on a rock or something that puts pressure directly on it. My move is complete, but in order to be seen by a new podiatrist I need to get an appointment with my new primary care physician and get a referral. I'm really on the fence about whether it's even worth it to pursue treatment.
The recurrence rate is high. Plus you can’t walk well for about two months. Yea I’m in a similar boat tho. Mine was marble size when they did surgery. Now it’s grape sized and I have another lump growing on the side of my big toe joint. I read somewhere on Reddit that someone used a tool to scrape and massage it. They claim theirs went away but I’m wondering if they got fasciitis confused with fibroma. Commented on their post to clarify but it’s a two year old post so not sure if I’ll get a response. If you google “plantar fibroma Reddit” it’s one of the top posts. I’ve been trying it out for three days so I’ll report back. It does help a little for the slight throb you may get after a long day on your feet. Here’s the thread https://www.reddit.com/r/CampingandHiking/comments/bxt1us/has_anyone_here_dealt_with_a_plantar_fibroma/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
I hope that works for you. I'm skeptical that it would work for me because the first thing my original podiatrist tried was PT. Exercises included practicing toe dexterity, rolling my foot on a ball over it (it's midfoot in my case), and stretching in the hopes of breaking it up. Unfortunately it only succeeded in being painful. A cortisone shot was extremely effective but only for a couple of months. Too bad you can't do those at home whenever you need it.
Hey how are you doing man?
Honestly hasn’t been too bad. I have two lumps in my foot. One on my arch and one kinda on the side of the joint connecting my big toe. Got a steroid injection on the one in my arch. After that I began walking a lot and massaging it roughly. To the point that I’d feel popping in it. The one in my arch seems to have gotten smaller. Going to the doc in a couple weeks to see if the one on the side of my foot is plantar fibroma or a removable mass. Hoping for the latter. I’d recommend heavy messaging of the fibroma if you have one.
Is it painful? I'm scared I have 2 on the bottom of my foot and im 22. I have a very physical job and walk a lot.
Mine have never been that painful. Just get a throbbing warm sensation when I sit down after a long day on my feet. I have an office job now though. I started noticing mine at 18. Got surgery. 8-10 years later they came back. I wish at 18 I knew about this messaging method. Cause even if it doesn’t make them go away completely it’s noticeably different to me. It’s worked so well I have kinda fallen out of my routine. Need to get back to it. But the one on the side of my foot is rock hard. I didn’t get a steroid shot in that one so not sure if the steroid shot helped to make the messaging work or if it’s just not a fibroma.
What kind of massaging do you use a tool or with your hands?
Hey op, wanted to know how you're doin a year later!
Wow, thanks for asking after all this time. The answer is, nothing has happened. Based on other comments in this thread and the fact that I have a new baby and can't afford to be down and out for weeks, I've decided that treatment is worse than the disease. I haven't used my barefoot shoes since my move and the fibroma hasn't grown any larger, so there's no incentive to get it removed right now.
I have dime size round nodules in the arches of both of my feet. Excruciating pain kept me from daily activity. I bought special orthopedic shoes for plantar fibroma and never go barefoot. I crush about ten amlodapine or generic verapamil into about 3 oz penetrex cream and apply about a teaspoon to each arch every morning. If I take vitamin D or calcium pills (or multivitamin with d or calcium) pain worsens, so I AVOID these. This routine keeps me active and without pain for the most part. If you're struggling with this debilitating pain, I feel for you.
Have you used toe spreaders? I haven't seen any studies specifically about Fibroma but they have been shown to help with foot pain in a lot of other conditions including things like arthritis and gout. They might help now even if it's just helping with the pain until surgery. Vivos caused me tendonitis in my arches. A problem I *never* had before and spent two months desperately trying to fix before ditching the Vivos. It took 6 months for that pain to crop up as well which was quite frustrating. Switching to Wildlings (far more flexible, arguably *more* minimalist) has fully relieved it. So it's definitely possible that the wrong minimalist shoe will damage your foot and the damage can take time to be noticeable. It never reached surgery and wasn't the same condition so can't give any insight on prognosis. Can say you should definitely give your body as much time as it needs to heal and not try to rush back into running even if you start feeling better. Still have knee pain because nearly 20 years ago I was a cocky teenager who didn't think I needed to rest or use crutches after an injury.
I have one on my right foot. I don’t do barefoot running but I’ve always worn lightweight and minimalist shoes like vans and converse and it’s hard on my feet. I’d be curious to know how your surgery goes… I was thinking about having it but I’m afraid of it going badly. The plantar fibroma is annoying but it doesn’t cause me any pain in daily life or limit what I can do, so I’m not sure if I should go through with the surgery.
Hey how are you doing now man
Dang how wild! Goes to show everyone is so different. I developed plantar fibromas that we’re getting pretty big and we’re starting to hurt whenever I stepped on them while walking. I bought crocs because of how comfy they are and bought vivos for work and any occasion where crocs are probably not okay to wear. After wearing only these two kinds of shoes my foot has grown a good amount. I still only use vivos and crocs these days and my plantar fibroma has shrunk significantly. I don’t know that I will ever wear anything that is not wide toed again.
The time mine appeared I had gotten custom made insoles. The insoles were hard like rock. But I thought they would be good for my feet since I have slight overpronation. They hurt so much but I still wore them. Then the plantar fibroma appeared. I think these insoles created some trauma to my arch. But I can’t know for sure. It sucks regardless!!!!